Filipino American gymnast Emma Malabuyo and Filipino-Japanese karateka Sakura Alforte made the Philippine flag wave mightily with silver-medal finishes in their respective world competitions abroad.
The 21-year-old Malabuyo scored 12.666 points to bag the silver in the floor exercise of the 2024 FIG World Cup over the weekend in Cairo, Egypt.
Her feat also earned her 25 qualifying points in her bid for slots in the Paris Olympics this August.
Malabuyo, a former member of the US national team and was an alternate in the Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics, came up with a strong second-place finish behind Japan’s Mana Okamura (13.066), while Spain’s Laura Casabuena (12.633) placed third.
Her compatriot Levi Jung-Ruvivar missed a podium finish, placing at no. 6, but also earned precious 14 Olympics points, along with Georgia Rose Brown of New Zealand and Natalie Westlund.
Jung-Ruvivar, a former junior standout, who is getting ready to join Stanford University as a student-athlete in the US NCAA Division 1, missed the cut in the finals of the uneven bars when she placed 13th with a total of 13.033 points.
Huang Zhofan and Luo Huan of China eventually got the gold and silver, with Odine Achampong taking the bronze.
Over at the karate mat in Larnaca, Cyprus, Alforte took the silver in the Women’s Individual Kata of the World Karate Federation WKF Karate 1 Series A.
Alforte won her first five assignments, including against competitors from Italy, Brazil, Egypt, and Spain, before bowing to Japan’s Kiri Mishima in the gold-medal match.
A total of 83 countries participated in this event and saw another Filipino bet Alwyn Batican placing in the Men’s Kumite -67 kg and Mens Individual Kumite.
At the end of the Cairo tourney, Malabuyo and Jung-Ruvivar moved up in the 2024 Apparatus World Cup WAG Reallocated Points Rankings of the International Gymnastics Federation.
There are still three tournaments on tap for Malabuyo and Jung-Ruvivar with the Cottbus, Germany leg coming up, followed by Baku, Azerbaijan, and Doha, Qatar.
“This is just like a warmup. So, I am pretty happy with how I did in the bars. But I definitely have to clean up my execution scores, and maybe add a connection or two,” said Jung-Ruvivar in an interview with the Manila Standard.
According to Lee’s mom, Yvonne Jung-Ruvivar, players who have already qualified for Paris will no longer earn points even if they win in the tournament. Only those trying to qualify will earn points.
“For example, China and Great Britain already have teams qualified for the Olympics. So they don’t get additional spots. They may win first place and prize money in the event. But won’t be considered in the other rankings for earning Olympic spots. Levi is 13th in one ranking. But it is 4th for earning an Olympic spot,” said Yvonne, before flying to Germany.
Lee, just like Malabuyo, needs to be first or second, after all four meets are calculated to earn a spot, and there are two slots available in each apparatus.
“The system is quite complicated. And there is also usually movement on rankings, after the continental championships, because the individuals that win Olympics spots at championships will have to give up the spot they may have earned at World cups,” added Yvonne.
“So, for example, if someone from Sweden is first on beam at World Cup series, and then qualifies at European championships, the athlete in third place on beam at world cups will now be in second, and qualified to the Olympics,” added Yvonne.
The next leg of the World Cup series will be in Cottbus, Germany from February 22 to 25. The World Cup series is a qualification pathway to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Only the top two athletes per apparatus, based on the Olympic Qualification World Cup Ranking List, will get slots in the Summer Games in Paris.